By December 2024. The second book's publication is next month. The advance reader copies have been out for several weeks and the early responses have been extraordinary — more than the first book's early reception, which I didn't think was possible. One advance reader sent me an email that I've kept: "You gave us something rare: a book about teaching that actually teaches. By the time I finished I understood both your method and the reason behind it and I felt capable of doing what you describe. That's the test of any instructional book and you passed it completely."
Mason was accepted to the CIA — the Culinary Institute of America. He applied in October, was asked to do an interview in November, and the letter came Thursday. He called me from school when he got the email. He said, "Mom. I got in." I said, "Tell me everything." He told me everything. He's going next fall. He's sixteen — he'll be seventeen by September, which is young for culinary school but not impossibly so, and he's ready in a way that has nothing to do with age and everything to do with who he is.
Two sons in food. One in a restaurant kitchen in Salt Lake, one heading to the Culinary Institute in September. And Olivia, studying food policy, connecting the workshop work to systemic change. And Noah, who made my birthday dinner last year and will absolutely do this for the rest of his life even if he never acknowledges it as a vocation.
I made the almond cream cheese cookies, the Christmas ones. The whole batch. The house smells like winter and possibility.
A book that readers say actually teaches, a son who got into the Culinary Institute of America at sixteen, two more kids who carry food in their bones — there are moments when the only right response is to go to the kitchen and make something that fills the house with warmth. I reached for these Gluten-Free Spritz Delights because they’re the kind of cookie that feels as celebratory as the occasion demands: delicate, pretty, and made with real intention. When everything is going right, you bake the good cookies.
Gluten-Free Spritz Delights
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 48 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (with xanthan gum)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Food coloring, optional
- Colored sugars or sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add egg and extracts. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully combined.
- Mix in flour. Add the gluten-free flour blend and salt, mixing on low speed until a smooth, cohesive dough forms. If using food coloring, divide dough and knead coloring in by hand.
- Fill cookie press. Load dough into a cookie press fitted with your desired holiday disk. Press cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Decorate. Sprinkle cookies with colored sugars or sprinkles before baking.
- Bake. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just set and the bottoms are very lightly golden. Do not overbake — they should remain pale and tender.
- Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 75 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 40mg